Daily Gospel Reflection for March 30, 2015

Today's Gospel: John 12:1-11

Monday of Holy Week

When thinking of the perfume filling the house from the woman’s oils, I wince at the thought of what those fragrances would be doing to my sinuses. Maybe they didn’t have allergies way back in ancient times, who knows, but what we do know is that these oils were very precious. Fragrant oils were used for all kinds of purposes from food preparation, to medicinal, to religious rites, to preparing a body for burial. According to Judas, these oils could be purchased for 300 days’ wages. Wow, I don’t know about you, but 300 days’ wages now would be quite a load of money! The priorities of men differ from one to another depending on their moral values; Judas was used to getting some of this money and using it for his own desires. His values were far from those of the other apostles; money seemed to have blinded him from the simpler, more charitable side of life.

How many times have you splurged on one of your family members just because? Out of love and affection sometimes, money was no object, and Mary felt that way toward Jesus at that moment--probably in thanksgiving for her brother Lazarus’s life being restored. We don’t always think ahead if some unforeseen expense would occur; we don’t always know what the future holds for the family budget, and sometimes we throw caution to the wind when it comes to our love and affection for one another. Christ knew this, but he also wanted to let those in the room know that a future need will be arising soon. It will be an event in which, to most of those in the room, money will be the last thing on their minds.

Ponder:

We all know what happens next; we all know the evil and the end to Judas, but what does it tell us now? I think it tells us that tomorrow will come, and things will happen that we will have no control of, but we have today. How many of us save the best china for “special” occasions? We don’t always have the family members together; we don’t always have time for these special occasions. Sometimes that special occasion ends up being the last time we see someone we love alive due to an accident, illness, or whatever. We are not promised tomorrow, but what we are promised is this moment, right now.

Pray:

Dear Lord, help us to make it a priority to love each other now and appreciate our blessings in family, friends, and neighbors. Help us to love unconditionally and realize that what is around the corner is in your hands and to be assured that You are in control. Amen.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Ebeth Weidner